01.12.15
Second Sight Medical Products Inc. which makes implantable visual prosthetics to restore some functional vision to blind patients, has earned approval from Health Canada for the Argus II retinal prosthesis system to treat individuals with severe to profound outer retinal degeneration.
Second Sight’s Argus II system provides electrical stimulation to bypass the defunct cells and stimulate remaining viable retinal cells inducing visual perception in individuals with severe to profound outer retinal degeneration. The Argus II works by converting images captured by a miniature video camera mounted on the patient’s glasses into a series of small electrical pulses, which are transmitted wirelessly to an array of electrodes implanted on the surface of the retina. These pulses are intended to stimulate the retina’s remaining cells, resulting in the perception of patterns of light in the brain. The patient then learns to interpret these visual patterns, thereby regaining some visual function. According to the company, Argus II is the first artificial retina to receive approval in Europe and the first and only retinal prosthesis approved in the United States and now in Canada.
Outer retinal degeneration is the deterioration of the outer layer of the retina (e.g. the photoreceptors), caused by the progressive death of the cells in this region of the retina. An important type of outer retinal degeneration is retinitis pigmentosa (RP). RP is a rare, hereditary disease that causes a progressive degeneration of the light-sensitive cells of the retina, leading to significant visual impairment and ultimately can lead to blindness. There are an estimated 13,000 people in Canada and 1.2 million people worldwide with RP.
“This is one of the most exciting medical developments I have witnessed in my career,” said Robert Devenyi, M.D., FACS, ophthalmologist-in-chief at the Donald K. Johnson Eye Centre and director of retinal rervices at the University Health Network. “The Argus II offers so much hope and possibility for patients with degenerative eye disease. I am delighted to be part of the first team in Canada that can provide this technology to patients.”
Devenyi implanted the Argus II in the first Canadian patient on June 5 last year at Toronto Western Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, as part of an investigator-sponsored study.
“This regulatory approval and the first implants of the Argus II in Canada are tremendous milestones, not only for Second Sight, but also for those affected by outer retinal degenerations in Canada,” said Robert Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Second Sight. “Leveraging more than 20 years of research and development, supported by strong intellectual property, and coming on the heels of our approval in the United States, today’s approval enables us to expand our international network of centers of excellence, which offer the Argus II retinal implant, into additional Canadian provinces beyond Ontario.”
Second Sight is currently recruiting additional centers in major metropolitan areas and plans to apply for reimbursement in the provinces where they are established.
Second Sight’s Argus II system provides electrical stimulation to bypass the defunct cells and stimulate remaining viable retinal cells inducing visual perception in individuals with severe to profound outer retinal degeneration. The Argus II works by converting images captured by a miniature video camera mounted on the patient’s glasses into a series of small electrical pulses, which are transmitted wirelessly to an array of electrodes implanted on the surface of the retina. These pulses are intended to stimulate the retina’s remaining cells, resulting in the perception of patterns of light in the brain. The patient then learns to interpret these visual patterns, thereby regaining some visual function. According to the company, Argus II is the first artificial retina to receive approval in Europe and the first and only retinal prosthesis approved in the United States and now in Canada.
Outer retinal degeneration is the deterioration of the outer layer of the retina (e.g. the photoreceptors), caused by the progressive death of the cells in this region of the retina. An important type of outer retinal degeneration is retinitis pigmentosa (RP). RP is a rare, hereditary disease that causes a progressive degeneration of the light-sensitive cells of the retina, leading to significant visual impairment and ultimately can lead to blindness. There are an estimated 13,000 people in Canada and 1.2 million people worldwide with RP.
“This is one of the most exciting medical developments I have witnessed in my career,” said Robert Devenyi, M.D., FACS, ophthalmologist-in-chief at the Donald K. Johnson Eye Centre and director of retinal rervices at the University Health Network. “The Argus II offers so much hope and possibility for patients with degenerative eye disease. I am delighted to be part of the first team in Canada that can provide this technology to patients.”
Devenyi implanted the Argus II in the first Canadian patient on June 5 last year at Toronto Western Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, as part of an investigator-sponsored study.
“This regulatory approval and the first implants of the Argus II in Canada are tremendous milestones, not only for Second Sight, but also for those affected by outer retinal degenerations in Canada,” said Robert Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Second Sight. “Leveraging more than 20 years of research and development, supported by strong intellectual property, and coming on the heels of our approval in the United States, today’s approval enables us to expand our international network of centers of excellence, which offer the Argus II retinal implant, into additional Canadian provinces beyond Ontario.”
Second Sight is currently recruiting additional centers in major metropolitan areas and plans to apply for reimbursement in the provinces where they are established.